Tres Bien: The Good, etc., from South Alabama 39, SELA 14

The University of South Alabama Jaguars are officially 1-0! Love to see that loss column empty. But, with a matchup against Tulane shaping up to be a real battle, the Jags have shown off what they can do and what they can improve.

The Good: Unsurprisingly, the Jags' veritable stable of excellent running backs put up some impressive numbers. Add those to the successful rushes of the quarterbacks and you've got yourself a 59 rush day that went for 241 yards and 3 touchdowns. Bishop Davenport's passing game was also successful and spread around. With six different players all receiving targets, Davenport threw for 154 yards. The offense cranked some pretty big numbers, including a whopping 40 minutes of possession, and the defense worked hard to add to those successes too. Two interceptions and a very timely sack kept this game pretty well under wraps as the Jags' aggressive defense kept a handle on much of the Lions' offense. They shut down the run and kept the passing game fairly well managed. And the performance on special teams was a happy sight. Davis Little went 3-for-3 from field goal range with 4-for-4 in the extra point department. Keenan Phillips delivered some impressive returns and showcased some pretty impressive speed. And, even though he was only called on once, Aleksi Pulkkinen delivered a 50-yarder that was covered beautifully to flip the field. There is a lot to be happy about in a 39-14 rout of an opponent, but it's best not to rest on one's laurels.

The Bad: The Jags played an awesome 40 minutes of football. Unfortunately, the regulation time is 60 minutes. In the second quarter, whether it be due to complacency or simple distractions, the Jaguars' offensive production stopped cold. The defense held into the third quarter. But the Lions opened the third quarter by marching straight down to the end zone after Davis Little's kickoff went out of bounds. Penalties hurt the Jags as well with 5 penalties costing the Jags 47 yards and even wiped a much-needed touchdown off the board. Truthfully, there wasn't much that did not go right for the Jaguars, but there are still some more major areas of improvement that need to be addressed.

The Ugly: On the offensive side of the ball, you can't ask for a much better performance. No turnovers, production everywhere and successful scoring. I'm still going to ask for more. Frankly, whatever the Jags were doing in the second quarter, it didn't work. After seeing just how productive the offense can be, it makes no sense that the Jags couldn't have put the ball in the end zone a lot more. Unless, of course, the coaching staff was trying to keep the offense close to the chest and just not opening too deeply into the playbook in the opener against an FCS opponent (this is likely). Going 2-for-4 on fourth down is also not ideal. Happy the Jags went for it, but they should really push through those short yardage situations. And finally, pass defense. Yes, two ints definitely contributed to the win heavily, but allowing 186 passing yards is rough to say the least. Unsuccessful tackling was a problem that plagued the Jags throughout the game, and there were some pretty key moments where they were cut up on defense.

All in all, great game. South Alabama fans should be proud of what they saw and the final result it brought. Alas, it's week one. The weaknesses are there, and the Jags know how to address what's been seen. Let's get back to work and keep that loss column empty.